Big Egg Marsh in Jamaica Bay, NY was experiencing subsidence, erosion, plant mortality, isolation, and other threats related to sea-level rise. This marsh, adjacent to Broad Channel village, was chosen for a thin-layer placement restoration project to increase marsh elevation and vegetation. The site was restored to a silty-organic saltmarsh. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a thin-layer placement of dredged material project at Jekyll Creek, Georgia. This project added dredged material to a subsiding, threatened coastal marsh. This project, covering 2 hectares, supports a variety of wildlife and native marsh grasses, and creates a more resilient coastal system.  

King Fisher Beach in Port O’Connor, Texas is a major destination for tourists and local recreation. It is increasingly susceptible to the impacts of storm surge, sea-level rise, and erosion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nourished King Fisher Beach with 58,305 cubic meters of dredged sediment. 

This project will restore 2,200 feet of eroding, degrading shoreline in the Little Lagoon area of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The living shoreline will be comprised of of plantings of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), wave attenuation structures, and native mussel seeding. 

This project aimed to restore beach, dune, and back-barrier marsh habitats at four barrier island locations in Louisiana (Chenier Ronquille, Shell Island, North Breton Island, and Caillou Lake Headlands). These restoration projects will restore habitat for brown pelicans, terns, skimmers, and gulls, and increase the resiliency of the islands to sea-level rise and storm surges.

The MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) Oyster Reef Shoreline Stabilization Project in Tampa, Florida is a collaboration between the base and Tampa Bay Watch, a local nonprofit. This living shoreline project reduces erosion, provides protection from storms and sea-level rise, improves water quality, and enhances habitat. 

The Maidford River Saltmarsh of Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, Rhode Island was degraded as a result of sea level rise and powerful storm surges, particularly during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This project was designed to improve the marsh’s resiliency against sea level rise, which involved a thin layer deposition and invasive plant species management.

The New Jersey DOT implemented nature-based solutions to stabilize approximately 1 mile of eroding marsh banks, addressing boat wake concerns from the replacement of the Route 52 causeway near Ocean City, NJ. The design included shoreline regrading using onsite material, coir fascine edging to stabilize the marsh toe, and planting Spartina alterniflora landward of the coir fascine.

Marsh Island is a state-owned island in the Portersville Bay portion of Mississippi Sound, Alabama. This project will restore 50 acres of salt marsh at Marsh Island to prevent erosion and rebuild habitat. The site will include a permeable breakwater, added sediment, and added native marsh plantings.  

Maryland is continually losing islands, acres of shoreline, and critical coastal wetlands to sea-level rise, storms, and inundation. Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of the Environment analyzed future climate conditions using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM), and prioritized highly threatened coastal areas for conservation and restoration.

Masonboro Island, NC contains a back barrier tidal marsh that is unable to maintain a healthy elevation as sea-level rises. This project examined the effect of placing dredged material on the microtidal marsh environment. Thin-layer placement increased stem densities and can be used to mitigate effects of degrading marshes. 

Mordecai Island in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey suffered an erosional cut that separated off a portion of the island. This project filled in said cut and restored coastal habitat on the island with dredged materials from the NJ Intracoastal Waterway. This island protects local communities from storm and sea-level rise impacts. 

Marsh along the Narrow River had been suffering from extended periods of water inundation from sea level rise, as well as erosion from boat wakes, resulting in the die-off of lower marsh species and the shrinking of high marsh habitat.

Tidal marsh in the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge was degraded from sea-level rise and storm impacts from Hurricane Sandy. This prolonged inundation led to vegetation stress and death, and the expansion of bare areas and mudflats. This project will restore 14 acres of tidal marsh to improve habitat and increase resiliency.

North Carolina Highway 24 is located between multiple waterways and is vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surges, and coastal erosion. The NC Department of Transportation opted for nature-based solutions over traditional repairs. This project constructed 260 meters of living shoreline, comprised of granite rock and oyster reef structures and a 0.1-hectare salt marsh. 

Salt marsh near Venice, Louisiana, on a northern portion of the Mississippi River Delta is experiencing high rates of sea-level rise, subsidence, fragmentation, and disturbance from oil and gas exploration. Dredged material was placed on the marsh to restore elevation and provide opportunities for emergent marsh to recolonize fragmented areas. 

Pensacola faces increasing threats from sea-level rise, storm surges, and erosion along the Gulf Coast. The city of Pensacola created Project Greenshores to re-establish marsh habitat along its coastline. This project, a pioneer in constructing living shorelines in Florida, restored salt marsh habitat and enhanced shoreline protection.  

Thin-layer placement of dredged material was used in Pepper Creek, Delaware to restore tidal marsh located adjacent to a marina. This project aimed to mitigate effects of subsidence and sea-level rise. Placement was conducted in winter to minimize impacts on fish communities. The marsh successfully gained elevation and revegetated after placement. 

Pierce Marsh, 971 hectares of salt marsh, shallow open water, and salt prairie in Hitchcock, Texas, is threatened by subsidence, erosion, and freshwater intrusion. Restoration efforts have been underway since 1999, and in 2016 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers restored 32 hectares of marsh through beneficial use of dredged material.  

Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge, located on Delaware Bay’s Western shore, was severely degraded due to sea-level rise, storms, and anthropogenic pressures. These issues led to over 1,600 hectares of freshwater marsh and 240 hectares of riparian forest impacted or lost. This project restored habitat, nourished shorelines, and increased resiliency of the refuge.